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“I’ve been interested in politics, especially international politics, for many years, but I didn’t really do anything with it. At least not until I joined a political party and looked into the possibilities of further education in the field of international politics. At a certain point, I found European Studies and went to an open day – and loved it straight away! The realisation that international cooperation is increasingly important in today’s world was a trigger to want to learn more. And European Studies covers a broad range of subjects, from geopolitics to European law. When I started the course I kind of expected that by the time I finished I’d fully understand European politics, but that was very naïve of me. The EU is such a complex thing – but during the study I got a good basis of knowledge.
Exchange highlights
“One of the highlights of the programme is the exchange semester. It’s a great chance to follow subjects in a different culture and through a different school system. I went to OsloMet in Norway and studied negotiations, cross-cultural communication, immigration law and Norwegian. I particularly liked cross-cultural communication because we dived into both theory and practice, but immigration law was also special. It focused mainly on Norwegian immigration law but also covered European directives regarding immigration and the Convention on Human Rights. Studying this at a foreign university was useful because of the different way of teaching and the different perspectives.”
“I wanted to do an exchange semester because I wanted to get to know new cultures and make new international friends. And, of course, the whole experience of living abroad is a learning opportunity in itself as you learn more about the culture of the country you’re staying in. For me, the cultural differences between Norway and the Netherlands aren’t so big, so I didn’t have much trouble adapting. The hardest part was actually saying goodbye to all the international friends I've made.”
More highlights
“The exchange semester is a huge opportunity to develop yourself but the European Studies programme offers other opportunities too. There are lots of extra activities, training courses, masterclasses and field trips. Like the trip we went on to a masterclass against racism and discrimination given by UNESCO in Paris. They're not only very good for your development, but also really fun.”
Find out more about European Studies on the programme website and the Exchange opportunities.